DEVELOPING | Canadian e-commerce giant removes Trump-affiliated stores after Capitol fallout

Shopify removes stores affiliated with Trump

Canada's Shopify Inc took down stores on its e-commerce platform affiliated with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, a day after hundreds of his supporters stormed the US Capitol.

Shopify said the recent events determined that Trump's actions violated its policy, which prohibits promotion or support of organizations, platforms or people that threaten or condone violence to further a cause.

- Reuters

JUST IN | 14 arrested for rioting and looting at Capitol

The US Capitol Police said on Thursday it had arrested 14 suspects in connection with rioting and looting by President Donald Trump's supporters at the Capitol on Wednesday.

Most of the suspects were charged with unlawful entry, though several others face charges such as assaulting a police officer and carrying unlicensed firearms or ammunition.

- Reuters

Twitter, Facebook freeze Trump accounts as tech giants respond to storming of US Capitol

Twitter, Facebook and Snap temporarily locked the accounts of US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, as tech giants scrambled to crack down on his baseless claims about the US presidential election amid riots in the capital.

Twitter hid and mandated the removal of three of Trump's tweets "as a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C.", after pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to force Congress to block the appointment of president-elect Joe Biden.

Four people died on Capitol grounds in the chaos, including a woman who was shot and killed inside the building.

The president and his allies for months have amplified unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, driving the organising for the day's demonstration.

Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday, later taken down by Twitter, that the storming of the building was a natural response. He also blamed Vice President Mike Pence for lacking "courage" to pursue the claims of election fraud.

Twitter locked Trump's account until 12 hours after he deletes those tweets and a video in which he alleged the presidential election was fraudulent and urged protesters to go home.

If the tweets are not deleted, the account will remain locked.

Facebook and YouTube, owned by Alphabet's Google, likewise removed the video.

 - REUTERS

RECAP | Joe Biden's Presidency victory certified, against backdrop of horror protest at the Capitol

Hours after hundreds of President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a harrowing assault on American democracy, a shaken Congress on Thursday formally certified Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.

Immediately afterward, the White House released a statement from Trump in which he pledged an "orderly transition" when Biden is sworn into office on 20 January, although he repeated his false claim that he won the November election. Just the previous day, the Republican president had seemingly incited a mob to swarm the Capitol seeking to overturn the election result.

The destructive and shocking images at the Capitol of what other Republicans called an "insurrection" filled television screens in America and around the world, a deep stain on Trump's presidency and legacy as his tenure nears its end.

Police said four people died during the chaos - one from gunshot wounds and three from medical emergencies - and 52 people were arrested.

Some besieged the House chamber while lawmakers were inside, banging on its doors. Security officers piled furniture against the chamber's door and drew their pistols before helping lawmakers and others escape.

The assault on the Capitol was the culmination of months of divisive and escalating rhetoric around the 3 November election, with Trump repeatedly making false claims that the vote was rigged and urging his supporters to help him overturn his loss.

ICYMI: 

4 dead, 52 arrested after Trump supporters storm US Capitol

WASHINGTON – Four people died and 52 were arrested, Washington DC's police chief said, after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday to stop Congress from certifying president-elect Joe Biden's election victory.

In a late night news conference, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert J. Contee said 47 of the 52 arrests to date were related to violations of Mayor Muriel Bowser's 18:00 curfew, with 26 of those involving people arrested on US Capitol grounds.

Several others were arrested on charges related to carrying unlicensed or prohibited firearms.

US Congress certifies enough Electoral College votes to give Joe Biden election win

WASHINGTON – The US Congress on Thursday certified enough Electoral College votes for Democrat Joe Biden to hand him the victory in the 3 November presidential race over Republican President Donald Trump.

With Congress approving Vermont's votes, Biden now has at least the 270 Electoral College votes that are the minimum for claiming the presidency.

How Trump in his final weeks incited his followers to storm the Capitol and attempt a coup

 - President Donald Trump incited his supporters to "stop the steal" at a "Save America" rally on Wednesday, encouraging them to object to the election results and "fight" for him.

 - "You don't concede when there's theft involved. Our country has had enough and we will not take it any more," he declared. "And we fight. We fight like hell and if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore."

 - The president then sat by, watching cable news as those supporters broke into the Capitol, blocking lawmakers from certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

Some White House officials are resigning in the wake of the violent siege on the Capitol

 - Some White House officials resigned from their posts following a violent siege of the US Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters on Wednesday.

 - Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews, Melania Trump's Chief of Staff Stephanie Grisham, and Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger all resigned on Wednesday.

 - Reports say Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, and Deputy Chief of Staff Chris Lidell may also resign.

Pro-Trump rioters gathered outside statehouses and lawmakers' homes nationwide

 - As the historic and riotous storming of the US Capitol unfolded, extremists loyal to the president also converged on state capitols across the country refusing to accept Trump's loss and pushing conspiracies.

 - Although many of the state-based gatherings were less physically violent than the provocations in DC, several statehouses closed or evacuated staff out of caution.

 - In Washington state, pro-Trump extremists breached the Governor's mansion and were cleared by Washington State Patrol, while Governor Jay Inslee and his family were moved to a safe location.

US Congress rejects first challenge to certifying Biden election victory

Washington – The US Senate and House late on Wednesday overwhelmingly rejected the objection by some Republican lawmakers to certifying Arizona's electoral vote for Joe Biden, after a riot by Donald Trump supporters forced a delay in the process.

Senators voted 93 to 6 against the effort to reject Arizona's 11 electoral votes, overcoming the first of what may be multiple hurdles to the November presidential election's certification.

The House of Representatives voted 303-121 against the objection, with 82 Republicans siding with the Democrats.

Mob storms US Capitol as Trump accused of 'coup'

Donald Trump's supporters stormed a session of Congress held Wednesday to certify Joe Biden's election win, triggering unprecedented chaos and violence at the heart of American democracy and accusations the president was attempting a coup.

Vowing not to be deterred, lawmakers resumed business after dark and the Senate soundly rejected the first of several expected challenges to Biden's win, with several Trump loyalists reversing course in the wake of the violence that drew condemnation around the world.

Egged on in an extraordinary rally across town by an aggrieved Trump, a flag-waving mob broke down barricades outside the Capitol and swarmed inside, rampaging through offices and onto the usually solemn legislative floors.

US Capitol locked down as Trump supporters breach barriers and clash with police

 - The US Capitol went into lockdown Wednesday as throngs of American President Donald Trump's supporters breached barriers around the building and clashed with Capitol Police.

 - The clashes came as Congress convened to officially certify the results of the 2020 general election.

 - The process is typically pro forma, but it's in the spotlight this year given Trump's groundless assertion that Congress and Vice President Mike Pence have the power to throw out some states' electoral votes based on unsubstantiated claims of fraud. 

 - The outgoing president spoke at a "March for Trump" rally shortly before Congress convened, and video footage showed Trump's supporters breaching barriers around the Capitol building and attempting to occupy it.

Pro-Trump protesters storm US Capitol while congress was debating Biden's victory

The US Capitol was put on lockdown on Wednesday as crowds protesting President-elect Joe Biden's victory breached security barricades while Congress was debating the certification of his electoral win over President Donald Trump, according to Reuters eyewitnesses.

The Senate and the House, which were weighing objections to Biden's victory, abruptly and unexpectedly recessed.

Trump refuses to accept election defeat: 'You don't concede when there's theft involved'

Outgoing US President Donald Trump addressed thousands of supporters at a rally in Washington protesting Wednesday's meeting of Congress to confirm Joe Biden's victory in November's presidential election.

Trump, who has spent much of his time since then in a failed effort to reverse his defeat, falsely said he won the election as he spoke on an outdoor stage framing the White House, which Biden is due to take over in two weeks.

Crowds gathered at the "Save America March" wore Trump-approved red baseball caps and cheered as Trump repeated the groundless conspiracy theories that have consumed his final days in office.